Jazz Unlimited for February 9 is “Live from the Village Vanguard-Part 1.” We continue our survey of New York jazz clubs with the first of two parts on the Village Vanguard. Max Gordon started the club in 1935 and ran it until his death in 1989. Since then, his widow Lorraine continues to run it. It remains the way it was when Max died. The featured artists for this show, guitarist Jim Hall, the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, the Brad Mehldau Trio, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines, the Steve Kuhn Trio, the J.J. Johnson Quintet, the Cannonball Adderley Sextet, the Bobby Timmons Trio, the Wynton Marsalis Quartet, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, the Keith Jarrett American Quintet, the Great Jazz Trio, the Hamiet Bluiett Quartet, the George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet, the Bill Evans Trio, the Sonny Rollins Trio, the Gil Evans Orchestra, the Joe Lovano Quartet, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the Fred Hersch Trio and the John Coltrane Sextet, reflect the diverse nature of the music played in that club.
The Slide Show has my images of some of the musicians heard on this edition of Jazz Unlimited.
Here is a performance of "Groove Merchant" by the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in 1968. The tune is by Jerome Richardson and the soloists are Sir Roland Hanna (p) and Richard Davis (b). Thad Jones is the conductor and Mel Lewis is the drummer.
